“It made the game go the way I like to play it” - Barcelona star says his role became ‘clear’ thanks to Pau Cubarsi’s red card vs Benfica

Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has claimed that Pau Cubarsi's red card spurred his outstanding performance against Benfica. The Catalan club secured a 1-0 win over the Portuguese club during their Champions League Round of 16 first-leg clash on Wednesday, March 5.

La Blaugrana played with a man down for a good chunk of the match after Cubrasi was given his marching orders in the 22nd minute. The 18-year-old was shown a straight red card for a last-man challenge on Benfica forward Vangelis Pavlidis.

Hansi Flick's side produced a resolute performance at the Estadio da Luz after the red card. They soaked up the pressure from the opponents before scoring the game's only goal through Raphinha. The in-from Brazilian forward capitalized on a defensive error from the opponent to give Barca the lead with a 61st-minute strike

Szczesny was one of Barcelona's outstanding performers on the night as he produced eight crucial saves. The 34-year-old became the first Barcelona goalkeeper since 2004 to make eight saves in a Champions League match without conceding a goal.

Speaking after the win, the Polish international claimed that his performance was influenced by Cubarsi's sending-off.

"I think the expulsion was a good opportunity to test our maturity and character. Everyone immediately realised after Pau’s sending off that we needed to show these qualities on the pitch," Szczesny said (via Barca Universal).

“I wouldn’t say I was happy with the sending off, but it made the game go the way I like to play it. My role was clear: block shots, clear the ball away, and deal with high balls. I had no problem with that,” he added.

The former Arsenal and Juventus shot-stopper will hope to produce another impressive display when the two sides clash in the return fixture in Spain next Tuesday (March 11).

What Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny said after missing out on Man of the Match award against Benfica

Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny revealed that he was surprised not to be named Man of the Match after his tremendous performance in their Champions League round of 16 first-leg clash with Benfica. The Polish shot-stopper helped his side to a 1-0, making eight saves in the process.

However, Pedri picked up the Man of the Match after the clash at the Estadio da Luz. The Spanish midfielder created two chances and recorded a 60/64 (94%) pass accuracy in 90 minutes on the pitch (via FotMob).

When asked who gave a better performance between himself and Pedri, Szczesny said (via Barca Universal):

“Well, he got the award, but I guess I can take half of it home."

"I asked Pedri, ‘What sport do I play that I didn’t get the Man of the Match award?‘ Maybe for the good of football, goalkeepers shouldn’t get the man of the match award. But for me, the clean sheet is enough," he added.

Szczesny has conceded 14 goals and kept three clean sheets in 14 matches across competitions for Barcelona this season.